


And It Goes On

by Fangirl_Deluxe14



Series: Secrets and Fallouts [3]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Anti-Abby, Anti-McGee, Anti-Ziva, Case Fic, Competent Tony DiNozzo, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 08:17:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13677834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirl_Deluxe14/pseuds/Fangirl_Deluxe14
Summary: Abby, McGee and Ziva begin to plot how to stop Tony's "prank".  Meanwhile, the two team leads get settled with their new team and catch a case.





	And It Goes On

**Author's Note:**

> Work three in the It Started Small verse.

Monday, October 24, 2011

 

As soon as the four agents leaves to the conference room, Tim sends Abby a message.

 

_T-mcg:  Abby, they’re gone, come up here, we need to talk now._

 

_A-sci:  On my way._

 

 Not a minute later Abby is standing in the bullpen in front of Tim’s desk, next to Ziva.

 

 “We have to figure out what is going on.  This can’t be real, it has to be some weird alternate universe or something”, the scientist says, her arms crossed on her chest.

 

 “Yes, I agree with Abby.  Something is definitely not right”, Ziva adds, her pose mirroring Abby’s.  Tim nods, sighing.  “I know, but what do we do to make things right again?  It’s not like we can just turn back time or something.  And Tony’s not capable of being team lead.  He wasn’t when Gibbs was gone, and he isn’t now.”

 

 “Then let’s act like we did then.  If we push hard enough, he will break, yes?” Ziva says determinedly.  “He cannot last forever in this, I don’t know, mask he has put on.  He is trying to be someone he is not.  I am confident our old Tony will be back soon and you are still Gibbs’s favorite, Abby.”  She lays her hand on Abby’s shoulder to comfort her.  “And maybe then Tony will open his eyes and see that he and I are perfect for each other.”

 

 Tim nods once more.  “I agree with Ziva, he won’t be able to keep up forever.”

 

 “Who won’t be able to keep up what forever, Tim?” Stan asks as he and Alex arrives in the bullpen, stopping in front of them.

 

 “Tony.  He cannot keep up this prank with everyone forever”, Ziva says confidently, turning around to face them.

 

 “It’s not a prank, Ziva, now I suggest you get back to your desk before Gibbs and DiNozzo returns.  They won’t be happy if they see you slacking off”, Stan tells her as he moves to his desk, sitting down.

 

 “You can’t tell me what to do, Burley, you’re not my boss.”

 

 “Actually, by chain of command, he is”, Alex says, “and so am I.  So, David, I suggest you move back to your desk before they choose to reassign you to the floor.”  She is disgusted with the attitude they are giving Tony and won’t accept it.

 

 Ziva mumbles in Hebrew as she reluctantly moves back to her desk, and Alex leanes on Stan’s, looking at Abby.  “Abby Sciuto, right?  Don’t you have other cases to work?” She asks sweetly, a faked polite smile on her face.

 

 “I will catch you in the act, Quinn, I will figure out why you cannot seem to understand this is all a prank, not permanent, and that you will be out of here when Gibbs gets tired of pretending he’s Tony’s husband.  I’ve heard of desperate measures to get away from teasing, but this is too far.  This is affecting the integrity of this team, and I will not have it.  I swear, I will get my Gibbs back”, Abby says stubbornly, glaring at Alex before she turns and leaves the bullpen, back to her lab.

 

 Tony and Gibbs had returned with four coffee cups, handing one each to Stan and Alex before settling at their desks.  They had heard almost all of Abby’s outburst and had stopped out of their line of sight to listen in.  They mirror each other with cocked eyebrows before they step in.  “Anything interesting happen while we were out?” Tony asks casually, eyes moving from Ziva’s sour expression to Alex and Stan, before looking past them to McGee, looking for answers.

 

 “Nothing remarkable, Tony”, Ziva says absently, not looking at him.

 

 “Not Tony, David.  I asked you politely to call me DiNozzo, and I shall repeat myself until you listen.”  Tony is about to continue when his desk phone rings.  He picks up.

 

 “Yeah, DiNozzo.”  Pause.  “We’ll head out right away.”  He hangs up and stands.  “Grab your gear, got a body in an apartment complex Norfolk.” Tony goes towards the elevator with Gibbs, Stan and Alex not far behind, while Ziva and McGee hadn't moved.

 

 “Well?” Tony asks them.  “Aren't you coming?” He says, annoyed.

 

 “Leave ‘em, DiNozzo, we’ve got a full team”, Gibbs says to him, stepping into the elevator.  “You can drive.”  Tony is shot a smirk from Gibbs as the younger man perks up, following the three others into the elevator.

 

 From their desks, McGee and Ziva look at each other.  “They aren’t actually going to leave us behind, are they?” McGee asks cautiously.

 

 “Why should we care, McGee?  Showing we do not listen to him will prove he isn’t worthy of being a leader”, Ziva tells him, making McGee shrug.  “Can't argue with that.”

 

*~*~*~*~*

 

 Tony leans on the elevator wall as it descends down into the parking garage.  “Jesus Christ, do they really hate me that bad that they won't listen to a direct order?” He asks the others.

 

 “My gut says it's not hate”, Gibbs tells him.  “Rather something else. Less sinister and more like jealousy.”

 

 “Jealous of me? Why? Because I got the fearless Leroy Jethro Gibbs as my husband, as my co team lead, or because he has my heart?” Tony asks, grinning at his husband.

 

 “At least the last one for Ziva.” Stan shoots in.  “She showed all the signs of jealousy.  And Tim would likely be jealous of me or Alex, for being SFAs.  As for Abby… Can't say for sure, but I think she wants to be Gibbs's favorite again.”

 

 “Yeah, well after her outburst in the squad room earlier, that isn't going to happen”, Gibbs grumbles as they step off the elevator as a team and split up, Alex and Stan to get the truck while Tony and Gibbs get the car.

 

*~*~*~*~*

 

 Gibbs, Tony, Stan and Alex work the scene together and found that them as a team works really well.  Tony and Gibbs trades off witnesses and talking to Ducky while Stan and Alex process the scene. They bring as much information as they can in with them, Tony and Alex taking care of the evidence and bringing them in to be processed at the Navy Yard while Gibbs and Stan go back to the squad room to go over what they have.

 

 Gibbs cocks an eyebrow when he saw that neither Ziva nor McGee are at their desks, but one glance at Stan made him shrug and sit at his desk.  “Bank records, phone calls, you know the drill, Burley.”  Stan nods and gets to work, typing rapidly and enjoying the work.  He feels good, being on a team again as opposed to out afloat.

 

 Tony appears in the bullpen alone, having sent Alex to the lab to give Abby the evidence that she needs to examine.  “Where’s David and McGee?” He asks when he notices the two empty desks.

 

 “Dunno, Tony.  Weren't here when we got in”, Gibbs looks up at him.  “I'm going to write them up.”

 

 “No, Gibbs, wait.  I'll do it.  When they see it, maybe it'll sink in that this is actually the real deal.” Tony goes to his desk and sat down.  “Two reports of absence”, he says out loud.

 

 “Make it three.  Abby's not in her lab, with Ducky, or anywhere in the building.  She left with David and McGee not long after we left”, Alex tells them.  “I asked the guards and they'd seen the three leave together right after us.”

 

 Tony sighs.  “I guess that means we'll have to examine the evidence ourselves, we don't have time to deal with their disobedience now.  Quinn, with me.  It's time to do science to find out why our Lieutenant was killed.” He stands and makes his way down to Abby's lab.  He begins swabbing the evidence for fingerprints, DNA or other material that needs to be tested, with Alex quickly following suit.  Together they quickly got everything up and running, performing several tests at once.  They are so busy neither notices Director Vance appearing in the lab before the man spoke.

 

 “DiNozzo, Quinn.  Where's miss Sciuto?” He asks, prompting both agents to turn and look at him.

 

 “That, director, is a very good question.  We'd like to know the same.  She, McGee and David are all unaccounted for”, Tony tells him.  “As you can see, it has left us to perform our own forensic analysises.  Analysi? What's the plural of analysis anyway?” He shakes his head.  “Not important, sorry.  Anyways, we're working on the evidence gathered at the Lieutenant's apartment where he was found dead by his fiancé.  Preliminary investigation suggests this is a homophobic hate crime, suggested by the broken pictures of only Lieutenant Tom Madison along with Harry Holmes, the fiancé. Harry is in the conference room as he's calming down.”

 

Vance nods.  “Keep working.  You seem to be doing a good job with the machinery.  I'll do my best to track down your missing teammates.”

 

 “I minored in forensic science and criminology, Director.  I know a few things about these kinds of things.  And don't rush it, we have things under control”, Tony says with a confident smile, turning back to the screens and typing.  “Okay, now we've got the DNA and the fingerprints running through AFIS.  Back up to the squad room we go to do our actual jobs.” He sighs as he walks to the elevator, Alex following him.

 

 “I don't understand their anger and resentment towards you, DiNozzo, but I won't accept it.”

 

 “Appreciated, Quinn.  And call me Tony.  It's just David and McGee who lost the right to call me that.  Like I lost my respect for them when they left me without backup.”  Tony smiles bitterly as the elevator brings them back up to the bullpen.  

 

 Alex frowns.  “They left you without backup?  Why didn’t you report it?”

 

 “Because at the time I believed they were still my friends, and not my enemies”, Tony tells her.  “Now I know better.”  He looks at the elevator doors, signalling the conversation was over.  They step out into the squad room in silence, side by side, and go to their desks, Alex sitting down at Ziva’s desk, without complaint from neither Gibbs nor Tony.

 

 It only takes a few more minutes before Tony’s computer ‘dings’.  “Ah, that’s the fingerprint analysis complete.  Now let’s see what our work has accomplished, Quinn.” He types and brings the resulted prints up on the plasma.

 

 “Okay, so the victim’s prints show that his name is in fact, Lieutenant Tom Madison, and there was only one set of prints who did not belong to the Lieutenant or his fiancé.  They belong to this man, Carl Roskam.  Wife a colonel, should say ex-wife.  Divorced two years ago because of domestic violence.  Burley, I want you to talk to the fiancé and ask about him, maybe he knows something.  Gibbs, go with him. Quinn and I will stay back and dig into Roskam’s files”, Tony informs the others and gives out orders.

 

 Stan nods and stands with Gibbs, and they leave to the conference room.  Alex works from the bullpen while Tony goes back to Abby’s lab to test some materials and also get into Madison’s computer.  He isn’t as skilled as Abby, but he manages to get into the computer after a few hours of work.  However, his work is cut short as a shriek sounded through the lab.  Shocked, Tony looks up only to be grabbed by the arm and dragged out of the lab by a distraught Abby.

 

 “Tony, I did not give you permission to use my lab!” She sounds pissed off.  Tony resists and breaks out of her grip, pushing her away.

 

 “Miss Sciuto, I do not need your permission to use this lab equipment.  My team is now investigating a murder and, since McGee, David and yourself decided to be uncooperative, agent Quinn and I ran the DNA tests, blood samples and others ourselves”, he tells her calmly.  “Now, if you would be so kind and let me continue my work, I’ve got a hate crime on my hands.”  Tony walks past her and goes back to the computers, typing.

 

 “I’m telling Gibbs and getting him to get you out of here”, Abby pouts and runs out of the lab, making Tony sigh.  He doesn’t understand why these people he used to call his friends are acting so hostile towards him.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and kudos are really dearly appreciated!!


End file.
